Allied Services unveils remote monitoring technology from Somatix

Nov. 4—CLARKS SUMMIT — Jane Suprick held her husband's hand as she listened to details about a new partnership aimed at enhancing patient care and safety for vulnerable individuals served by the non-profit health system.

It's a system that will help Mrs. Suprick care for her husband, Michael, 89, a Korean War veteran who is non-verbal and has other residuals caused by a stroke he suffered 20 years ago.

Mrs. Suprick is her husband's primary caregiver and she said the new system unveiled Wednesday at Allied Services Corporate Center in Clarks Summit will help keep her husband safe.

Mr. Suprick is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Promoted to Staff Sergeant at age 19, he bravely served in the Korean War. He has been receiving services from the Allied Services In-Home Care team for more than two years.

Allied Services and Somatix announced their new partnership Wednesday. State Senators John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, and Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, attended the event.

Somatix is a provider of wearable-enabled, AI-powered Remote Patient Monitoring solutions for healthcare providers including those providing care in nursing homes, senior living facilities, sub-acute short-term care facilities, and at home, like Mrs. Suprick, of Ransom.

Dr. Charles K. Herman, M.D., MBA, CEO of Somatix, said Somatix's technology allows for passive monitoring of a patient's Activities of Daily Living (ADL).

"Users wear a smartwatch or smart band with patented gesture detection technology to detect hand movements and report on activities including walking, drinking, taking medication, sleeping, falling, smoking, and wandering," Dr. Herman explained. "SafeBeing can detect and alert caregivers of dangers posed to elderly individuals and the data collected can provide valuable insights into a patient's health for better-informed healthcare decisions. The platform includes a caretaker app for caregivers and family members to be alerted on the go."

Dr. Herman said the new device and technology is reasonably priced and covered by Medicare and most health care insurance providers. The bracelet device costs about $65, he said.

"And it will reduce many unnecessary ER visits," Dr. Herman said.

Jim Brogna, Vice President/Strategic Partnership Development at Allied Services, said Allied Services will begin utilizing Somatix's wearable-assisted remote patient monitoring solution and SafeBeing platform with patients in a variety of care settings in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.

Brogna said Allied Services currently provides care to more than 5,000 people each day with approximately 1,000 individuals receiving care in their own homes.

"It is anticipated that this technology will bring benefits for vulnerable individuals experiencing isolation due to income, age, or disability," Brogna said.

Attorney Bill Conaboy, President and CEO of Allied Services, said, "As a health care system, we are dedicated to improving the lives of the individuals we serve. These investments in technology that support our staff in more personalized, responsive care, are part of that commitment to patient safety and quality of life."

The roll-out of the program was made possible by a $50,000 state grant.

"Allied Services, one of Northeastern Pennsylvania's leading healthcare providers, continues to pursue the highest level of care for its clients through an innovative new technology partnership with Somatix," Sen. Yudichak said. "With the assistance of a $50,000 state grant from the Department of Human Services, Allied and Somatix will be able to provide a technology platform to patients, especially our Veteran population in the region, with around-the-clock monitoring that allows for earlier detection of medical conditions before they become more severe."

Yudichak said Allied was one of those early voices to rally for nursing homes assistance.

"Allied's early advocacy was very instrumental in helping me and the All One Foundation create the NEPA Nursing Home SOS Program," he said.

Yudichak said the NEPA Nursing Home SOS, to date, has raised more than $1.1 million and provided over 2 million pieces of PPE to the region's nursing homes.

"The remarkable success of the NEPA Nursing Home SOS program led us to a conversation about how we could do more to help nursing homes and nursing home patients through technology," Yudichak said. "As we continued in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and struggle through unprecedented labor shortages, it was clear we needed a technology solution to help facilities like Allied Services provide quality, 24/7 care to nursing home residents."

Yudichak said Somatix technology, combined with Allied's quality care means — the highest level of health care in nursing home and personal care — is available right here in NEPA.